AP photo
UNH's Dalton Speelman (10) reacts after scoring on a power play against Denver during the NCAA Northeast Regional Friday in Manchester. UNH won, 5-2.

MANCHESTER – For all its struggles down the stretch, the University of New Hampshire hockey team can sure seal the deal. The Wildcats are unbeaten this season when leading after two periods.

They kept that streak alive Friday night and in doing so kept their season alive with a 5-2 win over Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Verizon Wireless Arena.

UNH will meet UMass-Lowell tonight at 6:30 in an all-Hockey East regional final with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line. The River Hawks advanced with a 6-1 win over Wisconsin in Friday’s first game.

UNH, which improved to 16-0-2 when leading after two periods, swept the season series from UMass-Lowell, 3-0, but the teams haven’t met in four months.

The Wildcats are in a regional final for fourth time in five years and will be trying to get back to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2003.

“I’m real proud of the way the team responded,” said UNH coach Dick Umile. “In the first period we fell behind. The guys stayed with it. We gave up more shots then we wanted to. From the second period on they responded well and competed and did what we had to do to get back in the game and take control of the game.”

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AP photo
Denver's Ty Loney, left, is slammed into the boards by New Hampshire's John Henrion during the NCAA Northeast Regionals Friday in Manchester. UNH won, 6-2, to advance to tonight's regional final against UMass-Lowell.

Casey Thrush scored twice for the Wildcats (20-13-7), including an empty netter late in the third period that cemented the victory, just their fourth in the last 14 games.

Trevor van Riemsdyk, Dalton Speelman and John Henrion also scored for UNH, which gave up 19 shots on goal in the first period but only 14 the rest of the way as the Wildcats outshot the pioneers 41-33.

Denver finished 20-14-5.

It was a physical game. The Wildcats lost forwards Kevin Goumas and Grayson Downing to injuries in the second period. They’ll be evaluated further today. Coincidentally both had hat tricks in the first game against Denver in late November.

“It’s bittersweet to win the first one,” Henrion said, “but it’s so tough to comeback the next night and kind of regroup and play your best game of the season so far. I think we have a lot of character in the locker room with or without Kevin. He’s a big part of it. We just have to come together as a group with the adversity that we have to face and prepare for an unbelievable UMass-Lowell team.”

Trailing 2-1 in the second period, the Wildcats scored twice on goals by van Riemsdyk and Speelman a little more than five minutes apart to lead 3-2 after two.

Van Riemsdyk tied the game with a power-play goal at 14:34 of the second period and Speelman scored the go-ahead goal with 22 seconds remaining in the second, giving UNH its first lead just as a Denver penalty expired.

Technically it wasn’t a power-play goal, but the Pioneers’ David Makowski was still in the penalty box when Speelman slid the puck home.

The junior forward converted the rebound of a Brett Kostolansky shot to make it 3-2 as the Wildcats outshot the Pioneers in the second period 16-7.

“’We came out a little sluggish,” van Riemsdyk said. “Maybe a little nerves which happens in these big games. We’ve got some great leadership in the room and a really positive vibe in the locker room. I think we turned it around a little toward the end of the (first) period.”

Leading 3-2, the Wildcats had a hance to maybe put the game away but failed to capitalize on a five-minute major and a game misconduct to Denver’s Nick Shore for contact to the head on Goumas in the first minute of the third period.

A trailer on a rush that also involved Nick Sorkin and defenseman Justin Agosta, John Henrion made it 4-2 at 8:49 of the third period when he roofed a shot past Denver goalie JuhoOlkinuora

Agosta took a drop pass from Sorkin, who carried the puck into the zone, and sent it to Henrion, who was trailing the play.

Moments later Olkinuora made pad save on Austin Block’s breakaway attempt, then took a hooking penalty on the same shift.

The Wildcats went two men down for 34 seconds when Brett Pesce was called for roughing. UNH managed kill off the penalties with minimal damage.

“We’re going to make a statement,” Block said, “and we’re going to do that through finishing hits. I think we’re underestimated out there. Maybe we’re not seen as a hitting team but we definitely have guys that can hit. We’re going to put together skill, some tenacity and finish checks when we can because that’s what you have to do in playoff hockey.”

The Wildcats were sloppy in their own end at times in the first period and it cost them. Denver scored twice on turnovers and led 2-1 after one.

UNH continued its bad habit of falling behind early when Daniel Doremus pounced on a loose puck in front of goalie Casey DeSmith, who dove and tried to poke it away with his stick to no avail.

The Pioneers led 1-0 at 2:24 of the first period. The Wildcats nearly tied it moments later when Olkinuora got a piece of Block’s backhander from in close.

UNH pulled even at 5:39 of the first period when sophomore Casey Thrush scored on the rebound of a shot by freshman defenseman Brett Pesce. Van Riemsdyk also assisted.

The Pioneers regained the lead when Quentin Shore beat DeSmith from the slot after the freshman forward collected the rebound of Nick Shore’s bid.

Denver outshot the Wildcats in the first, 19-14.

With UNH still trailing 2-1, Sorkin’s bid to tie the game hit the pipe at 3:51 of the second period.

“We’re going to keep it going (today), have a short memory and keep playing the way we did,” Block said.